The article makes a point that the monorail is not the end-all-be-all solution to the traffic in Vegas. It just part of a bigger solution.

I am always saying even though it is not perfect, Vegas is a better place with the monorail than without it.
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Excerpt from the article:

Question: So why isn't it working now?

Answer: You have to go back and look at the reasoning why this system was going to exist, which was that it was going to connect to the convention center and seven resort venues.

The resorts were going to promote the system. The backers of the system were going to develop a relationship with the conventions to sell them bulk tickets. There was going to be a substantial amount of marketing to potential visitors of Las Vegas to make them aware of the monorail.

None of those things happened. The only thing that happened was the thing got built.

I hate the idea of an express bus lane down the middle of the Strip. Taking out the big palm trees just sounds like an ugly idea and every place I have seen "express buses", they always don't live up the hype.

I would rather see the Strip turn into one big "walking street", with no cars or buses. Then add some moving sidewalks down the middle of strip instead of the bus lane.

But in the 11th-hour, another bid came in at $20 per share from a private group called International Gaming and Entertainment.

We will have to wait and watch on how the story unfolds. The Riviera has an excellent location, with property that borders both the Strip and Paradise Road. It also has close proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

There is no word from either group on what they want to do with the property. I doubt they have any plans to blow it soon. It would be better to keep the joint running to generate cash, and wait as the surronding area develops. Then sell it off as the property value goes up.

Interesting arguments on on how Boyd is holding all the cards with the Barbary. Click for here for the article.

"Sources who seem to know say Boyd Gaming Corp. is in no hurry swap the Barbary Coast plus cash for the Westward Ho site. First, Boyd's Strip site in the middle of Harrah's Entertainment's two-block stretch of Strip hotel-casinos is plenty big enough for a Cosmopolitan-type development, and could piggy-back on Harrah's soon-to-be announced redevelopment plans. Second, Boyd does not need the Westward Ho land. If developed for condominiums, they'd benefit Echelon Place greatly. And if left fallow, Boyd could pick the land up without the middleman. That's probably why we hear negotiations between Boyd and Harrah's, which is said to have options on the Westward Ho property, aren't going well. Still, company officials say to watch for an announcement, maybe this week."

"THEplace", a Mandalay Bay looking tower, is the a new condo project on the board for MGM Mirage. It is going to wedged in the land on the front right corner of the Luxor Property, right accross the street from the THEhotel and the original Manadaly Tower.

This project makes sense, bringing more players to the Mandalay and Luxor properties. According to the article, the project timeline is a little far out - a project for post Project City Center.

Vegas Visitors are getting smarter and they are not going to put up with the Taxi Driver scams. An interesting story in this Sunday's Las Vegas Review Journal.

I still recommend to rent a car if you are going to be traveling around the city a lot, but more importantly, stay at a hotel that is central to your activites. That way you can simply walk from place to place. This eliminates many of the headaches that taxi driver's cause.

With the closing of the Vegas888 offices and the work on the Spanish View Towers halted, you never know which projects are land plays and which ones are legit.

At the location of the Beach Nightclub, details have been released for a 300 room hotel and a 300 room condo with a full casino. The location seems right, a real quick walk to the convention center. Plus with the developement of the Wet and Wild Property, the Riveria and the Sahara, the north section of Paradise could become a vibrant area.

I found a surpising amount of coin only machines in Reno. People that don't play slots very much think coinless machines are bad (it takes away from the gaming experience). Any serious gambler knows that ticket in, ticket out machines are much better. You can switch machines quickly, your hands stay clean and and there is no waiting for hopper fills.

Those places that were completely ticket in ticket out machines had a surprising number of ticket redemption machines. Vegas casinos are now installing these kiosks.

3 to 2 Single Deck Blackjack. Can't find anything but 6 to 5 single deck in Vegas.

Larger size and taller tables. Table are about 6 inches taller and about 1 foot wider than the tables in Vegas.

Lots of 5 spot table games. While some Vegas casinos have only five spots to play on their table games (Harrah's comes to mind), it is the norm up in Reno. In Vegas, you can find some tables with 8 or more spots (Casino Royale for example)

Two Person Craps Teams. When the craps table is not packed, they get rid of the stickman and operate the craps table with only two dealers. The stick moves back and forth between the two dealers, and they put it down to make bet payoffs.

Daily Promotions. Almost every casino had a "swipe your player's card everyday" to see if you won something.